When one
consumes broccoli, one is only eating a small portion of the plant. The heads stand about two feet off the ground
and grow from the middle of large leaves.
I don’t know about you but I like to use as much of a plant as
possible. Sure, I've got chickens and
pigs and they love this kind of stuff but what is wrong with using as much of
the plant as possible most of the time?
Broccoli Stems
Using a vegetable peeler, peel
the outer skin from the stems. Cut each
stem lengthwise into halves or quarters.
Slice the sections into chunks ½-1 inch long for using in soups or stews
or baking and ¼ to ½ inch long for sautéing or other quicker cooking methods.
If
you are not going to use the chunks immediately, fill and label freezer bags
and freeze the chunks.
Broccoli
stems are great in chunky soups or stews and when sautéed, can be a part of a
vegetable mix by itself or layered over hash browns or potatoes, perhaps with
some cheese. Get creative and add a hint
of broccoli flavor and great texture to your meals!
Broccoli Leaves
2
tbsp. olive oil
1/2
small onion
salt
and pepper, to taste
2
cups broccoli leaves
2
tsp. sugar
2
cloves garlic
Wash
broccoli leaves and remove stem. Roll leaves and cut, when finished will appear
like noodles. Add cut leaves and about 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan.
Begin
to cook on medium.
Dice
onion small and add to pan with broccoli leaves. Add approximately 2 cloves
minced garlic - more or less to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add sugar
to taste (sugar helps to cut the bitterness of the leaves).
Stir
frequently, until onions are translucent and leaves are tender/floppy.
Serve
hot.
